What Harm Can Come?
by Ariathel
Summary: During winter break, the Hogwarts 6th and 7th years play Spin the Bottle... my, my, who ever will Ginny wind up with?
1. Spin the Bottle

Author: Lindsay 

Title: What Harm Can Come?

Rating: TEEN for right now

AN: Please read and review!

ANN: AHHH being stupid and won't let me have my spacing, so each new "section" will be divided with thingies. Sorry for the ANNOYANCE! (Can you tell I'm pissed? Took me 5 damn days to get it edited, uploaded, and everything and now being STUPID!)

It was her sixth year, Christmas break. Her parents had decided to go to Romania again, to visit Charlie. In fact... the vast majority of the school had gone. For the few weeks, there were barely a two hundred students left in the gigantic castle. That's how Parvati managed to come up with the stupid idea for a Spin the Bottle type game, only with a twist. The twist though, she wouldn't tell. Only Hermione knew, because she would be the one to cast it. It was just a stupid game they all convinced themselves.

The seventh years were invited, and Ginny knew that most showed up. However, when they got together for the game, it turned out that there weren't enough to play a successful round. So Parvati begrudgingly spread the word that all the sixth years were to join. Ginny didn't want to go... but her best friend Alyssa was dying to, so she agreed. After all, what harm could come from a stupid game?

The old classroom was coated in dust. Desks were stacked against the back wall, looking forlorn in the darkness. They slipped past them, tennis shoes silent on the dusty floor. Along the far wall, someone triggered a switch, and a small panel of the wall pressed back and slid out of sight. On the other side of the frame was a room without windows, without life. Ginny was terrified to go inside, but Parvati muttered a charm, and several candles cast light around the room.

One by one, the students filed into the dark space, all silenced by the seriousness of the situation. If they weren't completely silent, a ghost or a teacher could discover them. Padma, who was inside, instructed the newcomers to form a circle around a bottle hovering a foot off the ground in the middle of the floor. Ginny felt a slight shiver run down her spine, sending goose bumps along her skin. She rubbed her arms to warm them up, but realized it wasn't a chill that was putting her on edge, it was the silence.

By the time Parvati slid the wall shut, there were about fifty students in a large circle. The candles were put out, but nobody screamed. Ginny felt a yelp rising, felt it bubble in her mouth, but it died on her tongue. "Sit down," someone whispered, and Ginny lowered herself noiselessly to the floor. After a slight rustling, everything was silent once more.

They were instructed to scoot back three feet, or what they judged to be three feet. When they couldn't feel their neighbors, they stopped.

"This game is to be played in complete silence - while you are in the circle," Padma began. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "This bottle has been charmed to pick someone at random, of the opposite sex. You'll know it's your turn because it'll set itself in your hand. You are to take it, hold it for ten seconds, and then spin it. A small thread, made of silver, will wrap itself around your wrist. That's how you'll know if you are to spin, or if you've already been chosen. If you've been chosen, you will simply feel the bottle, then the thread'll wrap itself around your wrist."

She stopped, and then Parvati continued. "You'll be led by this thread to one of the closets in this room. You won't be able to see it, nor will you be able to see once inside. The spaces are small, and there are no lights. What you make of your five minutes is up to you. When the time's over, you'll be led out, and back to your seats. The game will go on until everyone's had a turn, but don't expect one turn only. You could be picked ten times, while your neighbor could go once. The bottle will pick someone every thirty seconds. Wands away, put your hands out, and begin."

Ginny stuck her right hand out, shivering in excitement. Though the game was still stupid, she anxiously awaited her turn, thoughts racing through her mind. She found herself desperately wishing she could be picked with Harry. Immediately, however, those thoughts were crushed. A crimson tint rose in her cheeks, heating her face in te darkness. She'd not kissed anyone, beyond a simple brushing of lips. 'On second thought,' she mused, 'I'd rather -not- get Harry! He'd probably know it was me, and then find out I'm a horrible kisser.'

She listened to the sound of her neighbors breathing across the circle. A slightly feminine gasp came, then several seconds later, another one. There was a rustling noise, then footsteps. Grating noises as a closet door opened, and shut, then silence once more. Barely ten seconds later, just as Parvati had explained, another person was chosen. After three pairs were chosen, Ginny wondered how many closets were in the room. She knew there had to be at least ten, if not more. 'Probably an abandoned potions classroom. Those things have a million closets, and storage rooms, and-'

A cold disc landed in her hand. She jumped, and then drew in a slow breath as a silver thread wrapped itself around her wrist. She felt it tug slightly, and then rose to her feet. It pulled to her left, and she briefly wandered if she'd step on anyone, but decided to trust the gentle pulling. A section of wall brushed her left side, and she stepped forward, only to run into another wall. Turning, there was but a short distance to either side. Ginny felt claustrophobia settle on her consciousness, as the door slid shut.

'I've never been claustrophobic!' her mind tried to reason. 'Why all of a sudden now?' But Ginny knew why, and it had everything to do with the male figure standing in front of her, and as the door shut, she realized just how much trouble she was in.

She could hear him breathing. In the small room, they were almost face-to-face. Ginny pressed her back to the wall, suddenly horribly regretting this game. 'I don't want to be here,' she wailed in her mind. She knew what was expected of her, and yet didn't. She knew that kissing was the generally accepted "closet thing", but... Her face heated up once more and her stomach churned.

"Well then," a voice said. Ginny's heart stopped. It was Malfoy. She pressed her lips firmly together, not wanting to give herself away. He managed to carry on a one-person conversation, all the while moving closer. "So you're mute? That's quite fine." One small shift. "Ever played before?" Closer. "I'll take it as a no. I'd also bet you're a sixth year." He moved. She shifted to the side, but he seemed to follow. He gave a low laugh that almost made her squeal in fear.

"What is it you want?" he asked silkily.

'Oh no! How could I be stuck in a closet with him! This can't be happening...' Thoughts raced through her mind, varying from screaming for help to pressing a hand to her mouth. Malfoy was her enemy. He was the one person she hated in this world, and as the seconds ticked far too slowly, she knew this would be the longest five minutes of her life.

He was close enough that Ginny could feel his chest rise and fall, and was positive he could feel her frantic one, as well as her racing heartbeat. He stopped moving, and instead sat and stared. She cast her eyes to the floor, feeling his own eyes drill holes into her face, searching. However, he couldn't make out any features. Nothing to tell him whom he was about to assault. All he could see in the darkness was the proximity of her head. "You up for it, little girl?" he stopped just centimeters above her lips, so close that when he talked the tips of his lips brushed hers slightly.

Her tongue briefly licked her lips, something she hadn't meant to do. 'What the hell?' she shouted to herself. He took that opportunity to move in, and she found her lips crushed by his, just as his hands shot out, and grabbed her wrists, as if he could see in the darkness. For a fleeting moment, she fought, but it was too much for her brain to comprehend. The goose bumps returned, and her whole body began to shiver. She found herself confused by his motions, but unable to comprehend it. Her lips parted just barely, without her consent.

And when he met her tongue with his, any rational thoughts fled her mind. She could barely keep pace with the kiss, let alone tear any part of her attention from her lips. And so, when the tugging at her hand resumed, she jumped, breaking the kiss. He stepped back, swiftly turning on one heel, and marched out of the room. She followed slowly, her whole body trembling. 'What was THAT?' her mind screamed. Not only had she allowed herself to be locked in a closet with Malfoy, she'd allowed him to kiss her into oblivion - and THEN she'd enjoyed it, even participated!

For the rest of the evening, she found herself locked with three others. She found them slightly boring compared to Malfoy, and then resorted to pinching her arm sharply to associate the treacherous thoughts about Malfoy with pain. Much to her chagrin, she found herself locked with Harry once, but even he didn't compare. The knowledge weighed heavily on her heart, leaving her confused and shaken throughout the entire procession.

When the evening was through, the circle broke. All headed back through the dark classroom, slowly. Ginny felt her eyelids grow heavy, her mind foggy and weary, as though cobwebs had stung themselves over the corners. As she snuck back into her dorm, she knew she was lucky to not be seen. Without even bothering to change, she fell onto her bed, barely acknowledging Alyssa's giddy presence. Within minutes, she had lost herself to the world of sleep.

That next morning, the school was buzzing. Teachers were cross with the older students, almost all of whom missed breakfast. They either did not know of the night's incidents, or did not care. Ginny suspected the latter, especially with Professor McGonagall gave a disapproving "tsk tsk" as she walked by the sixth and seventh year Gryffindors.

The experience was not repeated. Ginny found that nobody wanted to speak of the night, save Alyssa and Hermione. The three gathered in Hermione's dorm, which was deserted, and shared giddy stories.

"So, who'd you get?" Alyssa asked Hermione, her eyes full of excitement.

Hermione flushed. Her eyes were glued to the floor, and finally she mumbled something. Ginny leaned in closer, enjoying her friend's embarrassment. "Can you repeat that a little louder?"

"Ron," she said. Ginny's jaw dropped. She knew there was something between the two, but just the thought of her brother and his girlfriend being locked in a closet shocked her.

"And?"

Hermione turned even redder. "Ron. And Ron. And Ron." Alyssa burst into giggles, throwing a pillow at Hermione.

The brunette laughed and caught it, throwing it back. "What?" she asked with innocence in her voice, though neither of the girls was fooled. "What, do you think I jinxed it?" One look told her the answer. "I didn't! I swear!"

"Ah... okay," Alyssa said, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell! Twenty minutes! Why that must've been quite interesting," her voice was drawn out suggestively.

Hermione turned so red Ginny thought she'd explode. "Umm let's not share. That's my brother, and there are some things I don't need to know!"

With a thankful glance, Hermione relaxed into the headboard. She fixed her eye on Ginny, waiting for an answer. Ginny panicked. 'Do I tell them about Malfoy? No... 'Mione'll tell Ron, and he'll have kittens.' "Harry. Colin. Neville."

She shrugged, showing that she wasn't interested, but she could feel her cheeks flame. She desperately hoped they wouldn't notice, and almost sighed in relief when Hermione turned her gaze to Alyssa. All that she could say was "Harry." Hermione let out a laugh, and patted Alyssa's back. The three continued chatting, until a disgruntled third year appeared in the doorway, informing them that Ron wanted them at the base of the stairs.

They walked down, giggling to themselves, before standing and waiting for whatever Ron had to say.

"Okay, enough girl talk. Me 'n Harry are bored." When they simply stared at him, he rolled his eyes. "C'mon! Snowball fight, Gryffindor and Slytherin versus Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." Hermione raised her eyebrows, and Ron stamped his foot impatiently. "Okay, nobody else wanted Slytherin, so we said we'd side with them. Let's go!"

The three followed him outside, curious as to how deep the fight really went. Snow was falling, coating them in a layer of white before they reached what looked to be two four-foot walls of snow. "Fire!" a shout was heard, and within seconds, Ginny felt the cold sting of a snowball smashing into her side. She let out a shriek, and then ran for cover under what appeared to be their side. She dove next to Harry, who looked at her like she was crazy. She sat up, brushed the snow off her nose, and grinned.

"Hey Harry!" She reached down for some snow, and balled it up, aiming it over the top. After repeating several times, a drawl from her side made her cringe.

"You'll never get them that way," Malfoy said slowly, his eyes looking her up and down. She shrugged, her mood too playful to be dampened by his attitude. She looked down, picked up a handful of snow, and promptly dropped it onto his head. Hermione's shocked stare was politely ignored. He gaped for a moment, then let out a shout as the icy chill soaked through to his scalp. After wiping it off hastily, he shot Ginny a chilling glare, then launched himself at her.

She was so surprised, the first bit of snow that met her cheek was a complete shock. The wetness on her back though, that was rather expected, seeing as how Malfoy managed to knock her off balance into the snow. Ginny let out a loud scream, attracting the attention of her teammates. She picked up snow and threw it at him, then attempted to push herself up, only to find his knee was pressing her other arm into the snow. "Get OFF!" she shouted, her voice drowned out by cries of "Dog pile!"

Within seconds, all she could feel was a mass of bodies pressing her further into the snow. Draco's complaints and cursing was right in her ear, and each added body seemed to hit her harder and harder. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students jumping on. The few Gryffindors who were not on top of her began pulling the bodies off. Barely ten minutes after it had begun, the dog pile was over. Ginny however, could no longer feel her body - it was a mass of tingling cold.

"Something... guys... I'm so cold..."

Strong arms lifted her out of the snow, and she could hear someone shouting about Draco. Ginny closed her eyes, and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep.

"Tsk tsk. What you children were thinking is beyond me."

Metal clanging. Metal scraping metal, and a bright light hit Ginny's eyes. She grimaced and turned into the soft pillow, trying to block out the sunlight streaming through the windows.

"Ah, there, there dear. You're awake now, that's a relief." She opened one eye, just in time to see Madam Pompfrey open the curtain all the way. She fixed a disapproving glance on the young redhead. "And how, might I ask, did you find yourself at the bottom of a pile of twenty rowdy boys?"

'Twenty? Wha...' The snow fight came rushing back to her, and she sagged. "I don't know. But it was cold. I'm going to kill Malfoy."

"Well then, not while you're in my hospital you won't. But if you'd like to argue with him, do it while I'm not here. He's in the bed next to yours. Seems he got pushed face first into the snow. Passed out, he did," she continued on, apparently oblivious to the fact that Ginny was ignoring her. She handed the young woman a bowl of warm soup, then shut the curtain and went on, tending to her only other patient - Malfoy.

Ginny woke up later, her eyes fixing on Hermione's familiar bushy brown hair. She blinked, trying to sharpen the image of her friend. When she finally came into focus, Ginny mumbled a greeting. Hermione, who had been staring at a wall in fascination, jerked in her seat.

"Ginny!" she said, excitedly. She shifted, leaning forward slightly. Ginny pushed herself up, tucking her red hair behind her ears. After glancing around, her eyes told her that Malfoy was the only other person in the room, and he didn't appear to be awake.

"What's up?" Ginny asked, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded. She reached over to the bedside table and took a sip of water out of a glass that she hoped had been poured for her, then another, until her throat was no longer dry.

Hermione twisted her hands, and her face showed slight anxiety. "How are you? I feel really bad... we couldn't get you out of there sooner and-"

Ginny shook her head. "It's okay," she cut her friend off. "It was rather amusing. Right up until the part where I couldn't feel my body any more..." At the look on Hermione's face, she hastily took it back, saying that she was only joking.

A look of doubtful relief crossed Hermione's face, and she relaxed, a bit. When Malfoy shifted in his bed, the two quieted, and Madam Pompfrey came bustling into the room. She shooed Hermione out, saying she'd like to keep the two there overnight, and that they needed their rest. Ginny was fed, and left a tray by Malfoy's bed, excusing herself from the room.

Without anything to do, Ginny found herself staring at the ceiling. She was too awake to fall back to sleep, and unwilling to just sit there for several hours. She finally glanced over at Malfoy, who was still asleep. Ginny rolled her brown eyes, and grabbed her pillow. It was quickly tossed at his bed, making sure to clear the tray's contents. Malfoy let out a shout and sat up straight, looking around. His eyes rested on the pillow, and then flew over to Ginny, who was eating her dinner calmly.

She expected the pillow to be thrown back at her. However, the intensity it was thrown with startled her. When she was knocked sideways, the tray on her lap shifted, and the food on it fell onto the bed. The water instantly spilled across her legs, ruining the food and sheets. A startled cry escaped her lips as she violently threw herself off the bed, knocking the rest of the things to the floor.

A muffled laugh came from Draco's bed and she turned around to glare at him. A smirk graced his face, and his eyes gleamed with triumph. Ginny narrowed her eyes and scowled. Her eyes briefly settled on his lips, and the glare left her eyes, the scowl turned into a frown. She whirled, clenching her fist. Nails bit into her skin, and her mind reeled in shock of the tingling that went through her body. 'Okay, so what if he can kiss. So what if I enjoyed it? I'm human. I just gotta remember that... well... he's a jerk.' She was tempted to call him nasty names, but she knew they wouldn't do any good.

Surprisingly, Madam Pompfrey didn't come to check on them. Ginny thought the clanging would've alerted her, but it didn't. As she slowly picked up the remains of her dinner, she sighed. It would be a long night, without any supper. And there's no way she would've admitted to knocking all her food over, so she simply dumped it into the trash and set the tray on the stand by her bed.

As she surveyed her dirty and soaking wet covers, a sigh escaped her lips. The other beds weren't made, and there were no spare linens in the room. Without giving a sideways glance Malfoy's way, she climbed into her bed, making sure to not sit on the wet part, and brushed crumbs away. The curtains were pulled shut, and she stared at the ceiling.

AN: Should I continue? Or does it suck balls?

:Linds


	2. Going Into Hiding

Author: Lindsay

Title: What Harm Can Come?

Rating: PG-13

AN: Please read and review! And... because I don't know the exact year Ginny begins her sixth year, so I'll say that it's 2003. (the 2003-2004 school year).

This chapter has no... steamy stuff. It's kinda boring too. AND BEWARE! There's some foul language! meh like you haven't heard it all before anyway.

The names Elizabeth and Elling come from my Grandmother Betty. Her maiden name was Betty Lois Elling, then Betty Lois Gibson. Catherine is my great-grandmother (my

mom's dad's mother's) name.

The next morning, they were to be released, to return to their dorms. Ginny waited patiently for Madam Pompfrey to let them leave, but morning came and went. When

there was no sign of the nurse, she began to grow impatient, as well as hungry. Her dinner last night had been trashed, and there hadn't been much of anything except for

soup all day yesterday. Malfoy, as usual, was asleep. He'd slept through the whole night, and Ginny suspcted that Madam Pompfrey had slipped him something, if for no other

reason than to make him shut up.

What she didn't expect, however, was to be left in a locked room for almost a whole day. She couldn't see much out the old windows, they were too high up. And when

Malfoy slept through the day, she began to get worried. The door to the nurse's office was locked, and no amount of pounding would get Madam Pompfrey to come out.

When she'd screamed herself hoarse, panic began to settle in. Malfoy hadn't even stirred from her racket, and nobody came to help her. 'Where are they all?' was all she

could think about. She paced the room, her stomach rumbling hungrily. And all the while, Malfoy continued to snore.

She found a glass of water sitting next to her bed, and gulped the whole thing down. Her parched throat was temporarily relieved, but upon inspection she found that she'd

chosen the wrong stand to drink from. It was Malfoy's, and by the odd taste of the clear liquid, she suspected that whatever drug Malfoy'd been given, it was in the water.

Sure enough, within a minute she couldn't stand. Her legs gave out, and she sank to the bed. Within seconds, she was out.

That night, she was awoken by the sound of horrible screams, ones that made her want to shiver in fear. Something was going terribly wrong. She tried to open her eyes,

but they wouldn't move. Panic rose like bile in her throat, and she began trying to shout for help. Her mind was reeling in fear, and she almost felt her heart stop beating

when a hand snaked over her mouth, muffling her cries. She bared her teeth and sank them into the nearest flesh, hoping to be released.

"Ow! Ginny, it's Ron," a familiar voice hissed next to her ear. She released him, feeling a blush come up for overreacting. His hand was lifted from her mouth, and she felt

herself being slowly moved into an upright position. Someone muttered a spell to counter the body-bind she'd been placed under. All she could see was Ron, who beckoned

for her to follow. As they ran, the screams began to die, and when they were finally too far away to be heard, Ginny was able to stop.

She found herself surrounded by figures she couldn't make out in the darkness of the evening. Nobody spoke though, and she found someone pressing her hand onto what

looked to be a large piece of paper. There wasn't any time to ask what it was, because a sharp jerk behind her naval made the world disappear from around her. When the

world reappeared, she couldn't tell where she was. All there was to see were the fading lights of dawn.

"Okay," she heard, and backed up in confusion. That voice was unmistakeably Snape's, but what was he doing? "Come out."

Ginny looked around, taking in her surroundings. A large backyard, fenced in, was their cage. A house, two stories in height, was behind her. By her side, was Ron,

Hermione, and Harry. Snape was off talking to a figure she couldn't make out. Behind him was a floating body, board stiff. Apparently they'd placed someone else under the

body-bind. She stared, in an attempt to make out who the other captive was. A mass of blonde hair let her know that Malfoy was the lucky soul. If the situation hadn't been

so frightening, she would've laughed.

When Snape moved back to the group, she could see him controlling his prisoner's movement. Behind him was a grim Professor McGonagall.

Everything began to feel like a dream, a horrible dream that should be funny, yet wasn't. Where were they, why did everyone look so horrified, and what was up with the

screaming from earlier? McGonagall looked stricken. "Professor Snape will fill you in later. You are to live as muggles until this war is over. There is to be no owl contact with

anyone. You will attend muggle school, and nobody will know about who you are. I'm going to strip all six of you of your magic. It will be returned to you, but for now, you

must not be traceable. Should you be caught against Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters, I will know. Your magic and wands will be returned to you immediately, and you

are to do whatever it takes to run."

Babble, that's all it was. Ginny couldn't formulate a complete thought, and couldn't understand whatever her professor was saying. The only thing she could comprehend was

'Accio'. Summoning spell... what was she summoning? The answer was quickly found out, when their wands were taken. Ginny felt the haze of confusion begin to leave her,

and fear began to rise and take its place. 'Muggle school? Why would we go to muggle school?'

But the worst part was when McGonagall muttered a final spell, and the breath left her body. She staggered, then fell to the ground under the impact. It felt like a wall had

just slammed into her, crushing her bones and blackening her vision. Her arms shook under the impact. Her whole body ached, as though it were falling apart, piece by

piece. Spots appeared, colours distorted, and the world spun as she desperately tried to keep from falling into something akin to blackness. Ginny drew in a sharp breath,

then coughed roughly. Her lungs began to ache from the attempts to breathe, and her body's traitorous attempts to expell the air forcefully.

Then the pain was gone. She was left on the ground, and with a pop, McGonagall disappeared. Ginny slowly pushed herself into a standing position, looking around. The

others joined her, all looking somber and pale.

'I'm going to strip all six of you of your magic,' the professor's voice rang through her head. Her breath hitched, and she bent over once more, sickened. A sob escaped her

mouth as she realized what had happened. Sure enough, there wasn't any magic left in her body. Nothing was there, the comfort she'd had since birth had deserted her. She

felt raw and hollow, and when she began to heave, her knees caved out and she sank onto them again, her dirtied and bruised hands bracing the rest of her fall.

Choking sobs came, as she fought to not throw up. However, she felt it rise, and when she gagged, there wasn't anything in her system to expell. Her throat burned, and her

eyes stung. Gentle hands pulled her hair out of her face, as someone rubbed her back. "It's okay, Gin," she heard Hermione. "We'll be okay."

"No," she said between gasps of breath. "God..."

Hermione instructed her to breathe slowly, and she tried to follow what her friend was saying, but she found that it was almost impossible to calm down. "Just breathe Gin...

we've got to get inside."

Ginny looked up, slowly, to find that she and her friends were the only ones outside. Snape and Draco had both disappeared into the house, and for that, she was glad.

However, when she saw the horizon darken horribly, a chill went through her body. She crying halted, and her breath returned. "Oh no..." she whispered, and everyone

turned to look. The sky, it was blood red. As far as the eye could see, it looked the colour of blood. As the tint swept their way, what looked to be formless mass of black

came speeding in their direction, all the while shedding black sheets.

"Get inside!" she heard Snape calling. She squinted, and saw that they were tiny owls, dropping out of the air, one at a time. They grew larger and larger, and when they

were almost on top of them, she jumped to her knees and dashed inside. The door was slammed shut, just as the owls descended upon them. Their yard was instantly

covered in them, all searching. Ginny watched as several hit the glass, before her body was roughly pulled to the ground.

They stayed that way for several minutes, until a great rustling noise came. The air was thick with black birds, and then they were gone.

"I'm sorry you have to learn of things like this, but there isn't much else to do. We have anticipated a war for two years, and upon this attack, you were sent here. Virginia

Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Severus Snape. The six of you are to live as muggles until you are fetched. We do not know

how long this war will last, it could be years."

Hermione drew in a deep breath, and lowered her shaking hand. Everyone looked positively terrified, including Malfoy. Ginny thought briefly that he was drugged, because

there was no way he could be so calm. Normally he would be screaming of injustice, and be demanding to be taken to his father. 'His father,' she thought bitterly. 'There's a

war, and I'll bet he wants to go to his father.' Any thoughts she might have harbored that were pleasent in nature and directed at him were destroyed. She wanted to kill

him.

"There is to be no magic use until then. There are muggle clothes for you to wear, and muggle money to buy more clothes with. There are several more letters

accompanying this one. They will explain other things, in more detail. Best of luck."

And silence followed. Hermione sat on the chair with Ginny, squishing the two together incredibly tightly. Harry's head was in his hands, Ron was staring off at the ceiling fan

blankly. Hermione began reading the note again, as though answers would jump out from the parchment and glittering ink. Malfoy continued to stare, and his calmness

began to unnerve Ginny. And Snape... he looked positively frightening. Had she cared, she would've cowered under his rage.

When the silence began to freak her out, Ginny pulled her hair back and stood. Without a word, she walked out of the room and up the stairs. They were covered with

carpet, silencing her steps, and adding to the lonely quiet of the house that wasn't a home. At the top of the stairs were several doors, each leading to a room, she assumed.

On several of the doors were pieces of tape, and upon closer inspection, names were written on them.

Ginny was to room with Hermione, Harry with Ron, while Malfoy and Snape got their own rooms. She pushed her way into the room with her name on it, and found herself

greeted by two beds. A folded piece of parchment was left on each bed, and Ginny reached out for the one with her name on it.

'Virginia,' it read. 'While you are in this house, your name will be Catherine Elizabeth Elling. There is more information printed on the back, memorize it and become familiar

with it. You are not to tell anyone about your life at Hogwarts. Snape is to be your uncle, your friends are your cousins.'

Ginny let out a short laugh, void of humor. It was like a sick joke. This was all wrong. She would wake up in the hospital wing, next to Malfoy, and she'd leave. There were

several days left of Christmas break, perhaps more chances for snowball fights. This house wasn't real. The empty feeling inside her, that surely wasn't true. How could she

be stripped of her magic? It was like her soul, it would kill her to lose it.

Having convinced herself, she gently folded the parchment again, and set it on the floor. The bed was comfortable, like her Hogwarts bed, but the curtains that hung around

it... she longed for the scarlet ones of her bed at school. The ones in her line of vision were white, but they would do for the time being. Her shoes didn't even come off as

she gently lay down. Sleep found her easily, and when she dreamed that night, it was of a world where Voldemort didn't exist, and her magic was all her own.

"Ginny, wake up," she heard. It took a moment to register where she was, but the sound of Hermione's voice let her know she was in the hospital wing. Sunlight hit her eyes,

and she groggily opened them. Her skin felt clammy, and her robes stuck to her skin, but she was otherwise okay. When she took in the sight of her room, however, reality

hit her battered body like a ton of bricks.

"Hey Gin," Hermione repeated, softly shaking her red-headed friend. Tears welled in Ginny's eyes, and she knew that everything was not okay. She rolled over, wanting

Hermione to go away. When her friend persisted, she rolled back over. It was morning, Hermione told her. She needed to get up.

Ginny allowed herself to be led into a bathroom, where Hermione instructed her to take a shower. Her bushy-haired friend slipped out of the room, shooting Ginny a worried

glance. The click of the door shutting startled Ginny out of her dream-like state. Her black robes were removed from her body, as well as the dirty school uniform. The

formed a heap of colourful fabrics on the floor, leaving her pale body exposed to the chill of the room. Goosebumps appeared across her flesh, and she rubbed her arms to

keep warm.

It took several seconds to figure out how to work the shower, but eventually a full blast of warm water came out of the showerhead, and she stepped under it. The warmth

rushed through her body, cutting through her numbness and gently massaging away her troubles.

She remained standing there, staring at the wall for nearly twenty minutes. When the water began to run cold, she grabbed shampoo and squeezed a bit out. It smelled

good, like strawberries. Her hands methodically scrubbed her head, until her red hair was completely lathered. The now cold water rinsed it out, and she shivered as the chill

ran down her back. Her body was quickly scrubbed clean, and she stepped out of the shower.

A towel and clean clothes had been laid out, and Ginny silently thanked Hermione. She dried herself off, dressed, and let herself out of the tiny room. The hallway was

empty, but voices from down the stairs let her know that everyone was arguing. From the sounds of it, Malfoy was back in full swing.

"What the fuck do you mean, stripped of magic?" he shouted. Ginny winced at his language. Even though her brothers used those words, and worse, she still didn't enjoy

hearing them. She shut the sounds out and retreated to what she'd found to be her room.

The letter still rested next to her bed, which was still made, though the sheets were slightly rumpled. She sank onto it's cushony surface after picking up the parchment, and

gently unfolded it. The wording hadn't changed. On the back, she read the information, almost unable to process it.

'Catherine Elizabeth Elling,' she read. 'That's a weird name.' Shrugging, she continued. 'Birthday, February 17, 1986. So I'm...' she quickly calculated herself to be seventeen.

'Ron's my twin brother. Ha. His name's James.' More information was printed about the others, which she ignored.

They were now foreign students, transfered here from Britain. Hermione, Harry, and Malfoy were cousins. There was a family tree, and brief descriptions about each

member.

When the name and dates stuck in her head, she set the parchment down, and curled up on her bed. She wanted to cry. Nobody but McGonagall knew where they were, and

nobody could track them. She was stuck, living like a muggle, with her brother, his girlfriend, her lifetime crush, Malfoy, and Snape. The three people she loved most, and

the two she hated most. 'How ironic.'

When the arguement from downstairs began to filter through her door, she sighed and stuck her head under the pillow in a desperate attempt to shut them out. It only

served to blur the words, causing all the sounds to muffle together and sneak into her ears like a bee's buzzing.

"Why can't we go fight?" she heard Ron. He was thoroughly pissed, she could tell. When curiosity got the better of her, she walked her way down the stairs. Hermione wasn't

in the room, but the smell of food coming out of the kitchen let her know that her friend was cooking something. The weirdness of that scenario entered her mind briefly,

before she realized that her friend was probably hungry, and the only qualified muggle cook out of the six of them.

When she walked into the room, Harry gave her a small smile. He wasn't participating in the argument, but he seemed to be providing moral support for Ron, who was

currently red in the face and shouting at both Malfoy and Snape at the same time.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. The three who were in the arguement shut up immediately, and turned as one to look at the door, as though it had grown a

head. Knocking came again, and Ginny walked to the door, slowly opening it and peering outside. "Yes?" she asked timidly, her eyes sweeping up and down the woman who

stood there. She looked fearful, and Ginny wondered just how much she'd heard of the fight.

"Hello. Are your parents here?"

Ginny blinked once in confusion, then tears sprang into her eyes, stinging them, as she thought of her parents. Reality snapped her out of it, though, and backed away, pulling

the door open with her. "No, my uncle is."

The woman peered her head in, and was greeted by the confused stares of everyone else in the room. Ginny turned to Snape, and clenched her fists. "She wants to talk to

you," she said through her teeth, shooting him a glare that could kill. She stalked away, throwing herself onto the couch between Harry and Ron, who were staring in stunned

shock.

Ginny allowed her eyes to take in the stranger again, feeling a bit bad for being rude. The woman looked a bit scared, but she extended her hand to Snape, who shook it

quickly. "My name is Shirley Banford... I'm your neighbor. I... well, I came to greet you to the neighborhood. You are...?"

He just stared at her for several seconds, before apparently realizing what she meant. "I... My name is... I'm Alan Elling."

Shirley's smile relaxed, and her eyes swept over the others. "Are these your kids?" she asked, shooting them all a grin. "You don't look much alike, that's for sure."

Snape appeared to turn green at the thought, before he choked out a "No," before explaining that they were all neices and nephews. He shot them individual glares, and

Hermione took over. She stood up, her legs carrying her to the woman, and smiled. "My name's Ashleigh. This is Catherine." 'Ginny. Hermione and Ginny,' the redhead

shouted in her mind.

"That's David, sitting next to her." 'Harry.'

"James,-" 'Ron.'

"and Chris." 'Malfoy.'

Everyone waved mutely, and Shirley looked incredibly perplexed. Five teenagers, one adult, and only two of them looked remotely alike. She turned back to Snape, and

smiled again. "Well, welcome to the neighborhood. If you need anything, just ask!"

Snape shook his head, before something seemed to stop him from pushing the woman out the door. "How... how do they get to school?"

"Oh, the bus'll come to the corner of McDaniel and Heaton at about 7:50."

With that, she let herself out of the house, and Ginny let out the breath she'd been holding. Looking around, she found everyone else as shocked as she was. Finally, Malfoy

let out a loud shout that sounded slightly strangled and made a dash for the door.

Snape simply reached out his arm and grabbed him, pulling his flight to a screeching halt. Malfoy whirled, and came out swinging. Snape, more than a match for him in

strength and size, simply knocked the blonde to the floor, and bent over. "You will stay here until you are allowed to leave. If you go, you will be killed. Don't think I'm stupid.

And don't mess with me. I'm less pleased than you to be stuck here."

He turned, his robes sweeping out. It was then Ginny realized that he was in his black robes, while the rest of them were in muggle clothing. 'No wonder the woman thought

we were crazy.'

The rest of winter break came and went. Ginny went through it in a daze, unaware of nearly anything. All she could comprehend was that her life was seriously messed up.

She was okay living with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. She and Hermione enjoyed talking untill all hours of the night, giggling and going through their closet. Some of the

clothes were quite... different, Ginny thought. She was a bit nervous about living with Harry like that, but the unease began to ebb. She and Ron fought like they always did,

annoying Harry and Hermione nonstop.

Snape stayed in his room, something all four of them were grateful for. It was weird, four Gryffindors and two Slytherins. They didn't mix well, she knew. The ex-teacher

came out of his room once, only to tell Ginny and Ron to shut up, or he'd make them. They had simply stared at him in shock, before he disappeared back into his room in a

swirl of robes.

Malfoy only appeared to grab food, then retreated into his own room. He'd grown tired of insults and fighting, and resorted to simply hiding.

Ginny found that she was terrified of her first day of muggle school. She had no clue what they'd be learning, what the classes would be like, the school. Her mind ran a

thousand miles an hour, thinking of all the horrible scenarios she could find herself in.

The first Monday after break, Ginny found herself being awoken by a sharp tapping at her door. "Get out of bed," Snape's voice came. She mumbled to herself, and slowly

got out. Hermione was already up, and making use of more makeup than Ginny had ever seen that wasn't on a store counter.

"Come here, Gin. We're going to make a fabulous impression on our first day. Luckily, I remember how everything works." She gestured to the table, which was loaded with

incredibly insane things that looked weirder than Ginny'd ever imagined. First came the clothing. Ginny was shocked to find that she would be wearing a pair of blue jeans

that were almost skintight. She cursed McGonagall for not getting her size right. A tank top in white went on over her bra, and then a shirt with a v-neck so low it came down

to just between her breasts.

"Umm... are you sure about this?" she asked timidly, blinking when Hermione handed her a gold necklace. Resting on it was a tiny lion, its shape almost exactly like that of

Gryffindor's lion. Tears sprang to her eyes as she wordlessly slid it over her head.

Hermione motioned for her to sit in a chair next to her, while she picked up a curling-iron. She'd never known how to use electric things, and though Hermione tried to show

her, it was almost as difficult to comprehend as their entire life situation.

Hermione moved into action, curling only a few top parts of Ginny's hair. When she was done, Ginny's normally straight hair was now coupled with a few large ringlets that

Hermione sprayed with hairspray, as Hermione called it. Ginny muttered that she knew more spells to do this than an entire book could contain, and yet here she was,

becoming her friend's test subject.

"The only reason I know all these things was because before I went to Hogwarts," she said, and Ginny felt a familiar pang in her heart, "I was friends with girls who were

obsessed with this stuff. Plus I used to use a straightener on my hair."

Ginny nodded, as her friend continued working. When she'd poked and rubbed and brushed every part of Ginny's face, she sat back to admire her handi-work. "Hmph. I'm

good," she said with a smirk. Ginny looked at herself in the mirror, and felt her jaw drop. Instead of the childish look she was used to, she looked... good!

"Wow," was all she could say.

After Hermione quickly worked on herself, the two girls left the room, throwing backpacks over their shoulders. They jogged down the stairs, finding themselves behind a

fighting Ron and Malfoy, an exasperated Harry, and a furious Snape.

Ginny noticed that he was still dressed in the black robes. She shook her head, and shut her eyes in pain as he let out a yell. "Shut up!" he shouted. The five fell silent as he

heaved in a breath. "You," he said, pointing to Malfoy. "Shut your mouth. You're not going home until I say so. You're father won't come to find you." He turned to Ron, who

stared back defiantly. "During muggle school, keep your damn mouth shut. Stay away from Malfoy."

He turned to Harry, who just looked confused. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, before whirling and stomping away. He turned sharply once more, and crossed his

arms. "All five of you are to come here straight after school."

With that, they left the house. Hermione could barely contain her laughter. None of the guys had noticed them yet, and Hermione apparently couldn't wait. She'd spent the

better part of her morning straightening her bushy hair, then she attempted to curl bits of it like she did Ginny's. Her makeup was simple, but the effect was stunning. She

looked gorgeous. Ginny secretly wished she looked half as good, but she knew that she simply didn't have the bone structure her friend did that gave a natural beauty.

As they walked, they saw a group of about five people standing at the bus stop, and Ginny felt dread creep into her stomach. What would she talk about? How could she be

able to keep from saying something... anything, that would give them away?

The group as a whole turned to look at them as they approached. Ginny saw that there were three guys and two girls. One of the guys, a tall one that reminded her a bit of

Oliver, eyed her and made some strange head movement. "New people?" he asked, direction his question at Ginny. She felt heat rise in her cheeks as everyone focused their

attention on her.

She nodded, unable to say anything. Ron sputtered, his eyes going from his girlfriend to his sister, then back again. "Her-Ashleigh?" he said. It almost pained him to call her

Ashleigh, but he was getting used to it, slowly.

Ginny, in a sudden move of boldness, hooked her elbow with Hermione's, and grinned. "Like it?" she asked her brother, knowing he didn't. He was extremely protective of

both of them, and Ginny knew they'd have a major row about it later.

"Hell yeah," the Wood look-alike said, stepping up to Ginny. "My name's Devon. You?"

"Catherine," she said with confidence, and felt her pride swell. She knew Devon was checking her out, but the jealousy that eminated from one of the girls made her back up.

She gave him a smile, and clung tighter to Hermione, as though her friend were a lifeboat. Her pride was immediately smothered by the cold girl.

When the yellow bus drove up, Ginny drew in a deep breath and tried to calm her quaking nerves. She followed Harry up the steps, and stared at a sea of faces, all talking

and yelling. A few looked at her with curiosity, but she put her head down and moved to the back. 'Get me through this day in one piece,' she pleaded.

:Lindsay

Please tell me if this sucks! It's kinda dry... there's really NOTHING interesting in it.


	3. Schooldays

Schooldays  
  
Author: Lindsay  
  
Title: What Harm Can Come?  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
AN: I don't own fuse TV, though I wish I did. I command you all to watch it, it's a great station. 158, if you've got cable. I don't own Marilyn Manson, though I love his music. ::worships mOBSCENE:: I don't own 10 Things, or Kate & Leopold.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
"Well, little miss know-it-all doesn't really know it all, does she?" Malfoy mocked Hermione, taunting her from his position at the top of the stairs. He'd been on his way back to his room when Hermione let out a noise of frustration and slammed her pen onto the table.  
  
She ignored him, in typical Hermione fashion. The first day of school had been difficult for all of them. Ginny found that muggle school was just as difficult as Hogwarts. Plus, coming in the middle of the year didn't help them, and they had no background whatsoever in the subjects they had to study.  
  
Ron tapped his pencil to his nose, having gotten over its weirdness. His biology paper was a mess, filled with notes and scribbles and whatnot. Ginny looked down at her notes, and slowly slid them over to her brother. She'd copied them from the overhead during class, while she'd tried with incredible patience to ignore Malfoy, who shared a table with her.  
  
"Thanks," Ron muttered, as he took out a few sheets of clean paper. He began copying the notes onto his own paper, while Ginny finished her worksheet. The only sounds in the room were pencils scratching on paper. Malfoy had obviously given up on bothering them and retreated to his room, judging by the lack of insults. Ginny's mind briefly flew back to the closet scene, before she flushed and shut it out of her mind.  
  
Hermione glanced over at that moment, and took in the sight of Ginny's red face. "Are you okay, Gin?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. Ginny nodded, and returned to her homework.  
  
The evening seemed to drag on. When the homework was finished, Ginny found herself staring blankly at a wall, unsure of what to do. At Hogwarts, there had always been things to do. Whether it was taking a walk on the grounds, or reading in the library, there was something to occupy their time.  
  
Hermione moved away from the window, where she'd been staring for the last twenty minutes. "Do you want to go outside?"  
  
Ginny jumped at the chance to have something to do, while Harry and Ron had managed to find a chess set in one of the cabinets. They turned down the offer, and quickly lost themselves in a game. The two girls left the house, and began walking up the street. Though no snow was on the ground, the air was chilly.  
  
"So..." Ginny said slowly. "What do you think?"  
  
The question was incredibly general, but it was exactly what Hermione needed to be asked. "I'm scared, Ginny. I don't like not having magic... I don't like not knowing where all of our friends are. I'm worried about them all, but we can't have contact with anyone. I really want to talk to my parents, but... I can't." Her voice cracked, and Ginny knew her friend was afraid for her parents. "Living in the middle of America is hard." She stopped speaking, then began talking again, as though as an afterthought. "Then there's Malfoy and Snape... they pretty much leave us alone, but I'm scared to do anything. If Lucius comes... we're all dead."  
  
Ginny nodded, understanding her friend's fears. They turned a corner, finding themselves in front of a playground. Silence fell over the two as they seated themselves on the cold swings, and slowly kicked off. The creaking of the cold set spread across the playground like a breeze, almost echoing off the trees. The cold air stung Ginny's eyes, forcing her to shut them and kick harder.   
  
Her red hair billowed out as she stretched her upper body until she lay flat, the curls in it having fallen out hours ago. It felt like flying, she found. Flying in the same spot, but the weightlessness she felt made her heart soar. If she tried hard enough, she could imagine herself on a broom, playing Quidditch with her brothers and Harry. Her hands gripped the chains tighter as she pushed her body farther into the air, causing a tingling pain to form in her fingers. She leaned further back, feeling her head spin gloriously. It was sickening and liberating at the same time.  
  
When the twisting world became too much, she pulled herself into a sitting position, then stopped completely. Hermione continued swinging in silence, clearly deep in thought. Ginny sat still for several minutes, allowing her head a chance to stop spinning. When everything righted itself, she kicked off once more, this time swinging slowly. The gentle rocking made her want to fall asleep, something she fought against.   
  
"Remember playing Spin the Bottle?" she asked, a grin on her lips.  
  
Ginny turned incredibly red, remembering all to well the game they'd played. She found herself doing that much too often lately. "Yes." Her voice was a tad bit higher than she'd intended, but luckily Hermione was too into her own reverie to notice. The silence continued, until Hermione grew wistful.  
  
"I wonder how they all are, right now..." There wasn't any way of knowing where they all were, who was all right, anything. It was terrifying, knowing that everybody could be dead.  
  
Ginny's eyes drifted around the houses that surrounded them. They were all large, too large in fact. They looked like looming monsters, ready to swallow them whole. Night was beginning to fall, and the already grand buildings looked even more foreboding than ever. Hermione suggested that they go back to the house, an offer which Ginny eagerly accepted her on.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Harry was flipping through the news stations, listening for any word at all on the wizarding world. When there was nothing that could be linked to an attack from Voldemort, he sighed and turned the TV off. Hermione, who had grown up with television too, turned it back on. "Well, if there isn't anything else to do, we might as well watch some TV," she muttered. It was unlike her to not be studying, but apparently she didn't even care.  
  
After flipping through channels, she finally settled on one that was showing lots of songs, with pictures. Ginny found them enchanting, and began to watch with rapt attention. The first song that came on was one called 'mOBSCENE' by an artist called 'Marilyn Manson'. It was weird, to say the least. Full of half naked girls, scratchy singing, and other... weird things.  
  
Hermione groaned when she heard it. "That's Marilyn Manson. He's weird. And very obscene." Apparently she hadn't noticed the title.  
  
Ginny grinned as she took in the lyrics and the dancing girls. They looked flashy, but very enchanting at the same time. When the video was over, Ginny shook her head. "That was insane."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and watched as her friend became more and more engrossed in the videos. They were unlike anything she'd seen before, capturing her undivided attention. After an hour of staring at commercials and music videos, Hermione changed the channel to a movie. The first thing she found was one called '10 Things I Hate About You', which was coming on in ten minutes. Ron and Harry moved their chess game to the kitchen, leaving the two girls alone in the living room.  
  
It was like the music with pictures, but longer. And there wasn't as much music. 'Like a story, but... on TV!' Ginny thought with a grin. Ron and Harry reappeared in the living room, stealing the two chairs that were in there, and pulling them back into the kitchen.  
  
Ginny was seated on the center cushion, Hermione to her right, and an empty seat to her left. As the movie wore on, she found herself laughing hysterically, sadness captivating her emotions, and anger filling her mind. She began to grow tired, her eyelids drooping occasionally as she burrowed down deeper into the couch. Halfway through the movie, Malfoy appeared in the living room, searching for a chair. He made a noise of disgust that nobody noticed, and sat next to Ginny, squishing himself as far against the other side that he could.  
  
When that movie was over, Ginny and Hermione made a move to change the channel, but another movie, Kate & Leopold, began to start. Instead of getting up, the two shot each other shrugs and resumed watching the TV. Ginny's eyes were burning with her attempts to keep them open, and upon shutting them for a brief second, she found herself fast asleep.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"Where the hell are you all?" a loud voice shouted from the upstairs. Ginny's nose twitched as someone came running down the stairs. She didn't want to move, it was too comfortable. The television was still going, currently saying something about a gazelle and legs. On either side of her, two warm bodies stirred, and she shifted her weight. Her head was resting comfortably on someone's shoulder, while her own body was fit snugly against theirs.  
  
An arm had been slung around her shoulder, while a head rested on top of her own. She brought her own arm up to tuck her hair back, then shifted once more. The warmth left her on the right side, letting a cold rush of air freeze her body. A noise of annoyance escaped her lips, and she burrowed further into the person she was sleeping on, pulling the blanket that was across her lap up to cover the exposed side.  
  
"Ginny!" she heard Hermione shout. "Get up! We're going to be late!" Her voice held such an urgency that Ginny couldn't continue ignoring it. She sighed and moved to slide out from under the arm, opening her eyes a crack.  
  
"Get up," she muttered to whoever it was, breathing in deeply through her nose. She was met with a purely male smell, one that startled her. It brought back memories, not of Harry or her brother, but a forbidden closet on a night she'd never forget. As she wiggled away, the person straightened, stretching. Ginny's head turned as she scooted away, and a small smile went across her lips.  
  
His clothes were rumpled, his arm marked with red lines from pressing into the couch. He yawned, and sank back into the other side of the couch, much to Ginny's relief. She didn't want him to open his eyes and express his disgust at having allowed Ginny to sleep practically on top of him.  
  
The blanket fell to the floor, and she whirled, only to find herself face to face with Snape. She let out a squeak and backed away, then brushed around him. He looked... almost relaxed, but she couldn't understand why. 'He's never like that. I wonder...' Without caring, she dashed up the stairs and into their shared room. Hermione was moaning to herself, staring into the closet. "Why can't they just have uniforms?" she muttered, grabbing a shirt.  
  
"Do I have time to take a shower?" she asked between Hermione's muttering. Her friend nodded without breaking her spiel. Ginny went into the bathroom, which was thick with steam from several other showers, and stripped in seconds. All the hot water had been used, much to her dislike, so the shower only lasted five minutes. The strawberry shampoo made her hair smell once again. Once she made sure the coast was clear, she ran back into her room, wrapped only in a towel.  
  
Hermione had, once more, laid out clothes for her. "This last time, only because we're running late," Hermione promised with a laugh. Ginny threw them on, then clasped the lion necklace around her neck again. A bit of makeup went on, and her hair was brushed straight. Hermione worked something into it, then dried it with a device that blew hot air for a few minutes, before the two had to leave.  
  
Ginny found herself once more being stared at by Devon, who's unashamed looks were making her uncomfortable, and the glares from the girl making her a bit afraid. She didn't say much, merely boarded the bus silently.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
First period was Biology, which she shared with Malfoy. She ignored him today, for a different reason. Every time he turned to her, she turned bright red, remembering waking up next to him. Halfway through the class, he slid a piece of paper over to her side of the table, which she hurriedly pushed under her notes, not wanting to be caught.  
  
'I know it was you.'  
  
At first she started to crumble the paper up, then, on a second thought, smoothed it out and leaned over.  
  
'What was?' she wrote neatly. The paper was folded several times, before it was slid back over the table. Malfoy read it, then tapped his pen to his chin, and stared at the overhead. The teacher was currently discussing the nitrogen cycle. They didn't care in the least about whatever he was saying, merely sitting through classes, waiting for the day when they could go back to Hogwarts.  
  
'The couch. And the closet.'  
  
She read the note before what he was saying settled in her mind. Because there was no proper reply, she slid it under her notes and ignored him for the rest of the period. When the bell rang, she was the first out of the room, dashing to her second period class.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
During third period, which was English, she found herself sitting next to Harry. The teacher, Mrs. Austin, was talking about a book she had given the class before winter break. Ginny had never heard of it in her life, so when the teacher asked her a question about it, she didn't have an answer. "The Scarlet Letter," Mrs. Austin repeated, as though Ginny needed to hear it again. "You've never read that?"  
  
Her piercing gaze turned to Harry, who shrugged. "No, ma'am."  
  
She looked incredibly shocked, shaking her head in disgust. She muttered something about British people, before handing the two an obviously old copy of the book. Ginny picked it up, then jumped when a chunk of the pages fell out. "Don't worry, it's old. The school won't let us buy any new copies," Mrs. Austin explained, before handing them a small stack of papers. "Read the books, and have these worksheets completed by next Monday."  
  
With that, she returned to her desk, leaving the two of them to delve into the book. Twenty minutes later, the teacher told them to partner up, and instructed two girls to pair with Ginny and Harry. Ginny watched with jealousy as one girl, a pretty blonde, walked over shyly. Her crystal blue eyes went from Harry to Ginny, then back again. She was followed by a brunette who looked slightly upset at having to pair with the newcomers.  
  
"I'm Bree," the blonde said quietly, as she stepped forward and dragged an empty desk in front of Ginny's. The brunette introduced herself as Aubrey, then her eyes lit up as she suddenly thought of something.  
  
"Are you two related to Chris Elling?" she asked, her eyes glancing back and forth between Harry and Ginny. They shook their heads.  
  
"We're all adopted. But we live together," Ginny explained, watching as the brunette's eyes lit up almost greedily. She let out a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and began talking nonstop about how she and Chris had hit it off the previous day in their fifth period class, and blah blah blah.  
  
Bree sighed. "Aubrey, will you please stop. We've got to work." Her reprimand caused the other girl to stop talking, her eyes narrowing in anger. Bree ignored her, and began talking about the work they were doing. Mrs. Austin came over, frowning.  
  
"Girls, I said pairs, not groups. Bree, will you work with Catherine. Aubrey, you're with David." The two groups split desks, and Ginny felt a pang that was seperation from Harry. It had grown so familiar, she barely even noticed it.  
  
Bree gave Ginny a smile, and slid her notes over. "This is what I've gotten so far... you can copy them down if you'd like." Then she tapped her finger on the desk, and nodded to herself. "Actually... would it be all right if I came over? I could help you catch up, and explain the book and such, if you'd like." She looked so nice, Ginny couldn't turn her down.  
  
"Sure. Just... meet me by room 308 after school, and you can ride my bus." Bree's face lit up, and she glanced around, before looking back to Ginny.  
  
"Thanks!" She looked relieved, though why Ginny couldn't explain. Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of class. They pushed their desks back into the neat rows, then filed out of the room. Ginny waved good-bye to Harry and Bree, then headed off for Chemistry.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"All right, time to get in groups of three," Mr. Hall said, grinning. He was greatly amused by his classes, and loved to do simple things such as group work. The class moved around, getting with their friends. Ginny and Hermione immediately joined, and Bree came to sit next to them. Ginny greeted her with a smile, then introduced her two friends. Hermione was immediately smiling and asking Bree question after question, and Ginny could tell that the two had hit it off.  
  
They got their assignment, and began researching their event in the history books. Hermione took notes, and once or twice Ginny saw her write down important dates in the witching history, before scribbling them out. Bree hadn't taken notice, having become completely engrossed in their work.  
  
When the class was over, Bree decided to follow Ginny and Hermione to their lockers, since she had all the books she needed. As the hallways began to clear, the three guys began to approach. Ron was arguing with Malfoy, though they didn't seem angry with each other. Ginny began to pick up pieces of their conversation, and shook her head.  
  
"I don't care how long we're here, Chemistry is a useless class!" Ron was exclaiming, shaking his head. Much to Ginny's surprise, Malfoy rolled his eyes but didn't say anything about trash or poor or weasels, or anything.  
  
"You only think that because you suck at Potions!" he retorted. "Admit it, you can't do anything that requires brains, Weasley."  
  
They noticed Bree at that moment, who was engrossed in a conversation with Hermione. They stopped talking about Potions, and silently got their books. Their bus was usually half an hour late, leaving them time to walk slowly to the front of the school. Bree finally noticed the three newcomers, and looked at Ron and Malfoy in half confusion.  
  
Hermione introduced the two, who waved a small hi. They set off for the bus in silence.  
  
Once inside the house, they were greeted by Snape, who was staring fixedly at the television. It was back on fuse, apparently Hermione had set it there in the morning. Ginny rolled her eyes, noticing that he continued to wear his cape. He glanced at them, taking in the sight of Bree, and frowned.  
  
She hadn't noticed him yet, and was too busy telling Hermione about her uncle's band, Creed. Snape continued to stare at the newcomer, then turned his head abruptly and walked up the stairs. The whole scene went unnoticed by Bree, who helped herself to a seat on the couch. Hermione, who was still completely engrossed in conversationg, sat next to her, leaving the others to their own devices. Ginny, who didn't want to join the conversation just then, walked up the stairs into her room.  
  
Her backpack immediately found a corner to rest in, and she spread out on the bed. The day hadn't been so bad, and she was glad that Hermione seemed to have made a new friend. She felt a bit left out, but that was okay. When the door creaked open, she expected it to ber Hermione and Bree. When neither of them spoke, she opened her eyes, and startled. It wasn't Hermione and Bree, but Malfoy who stood in her doorway.  
  
"What do you want," she murmured, not really asking him. He just stood there, staring at her. She rolled over, baring her back. Her shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing her waist and back. The garnment was pulled back, and she closed her eyes into the pillow. The sound of a door click let her know he'd left. She fell into a light sleep. The scent that was Malfoy filled her senses, and had she woken, she would've seen him sitting next to her bed, deep in thought.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Hmm. I think the change in Malfoy is incredibly drastic. But well... what can I say. ^__^  
  
And...  
  
Major THANK YOU's to....  
  
Junebug  
  
MoonGUn  
  
ShaquilaTurner  
  
Andune  
  
Lady-Thetis  
  
Jayme  
  
Sirius's Crazy Chick  
  
BuTtWorM02  
  
DeviousSSA  
  
angelicmayka  
  
SilverStrDust16  
  
Anyanka  
  
Marchione  
  
Dobz  
  
Yoshi-fan2003  
  
Trancos  
  
Mr Spooklebumps  
  
Meh, thanks for reviewing! It was because you guys reviewed (yeah, I sound all mushy-like) that I got this chapter done. THANKS!!!  
  
If anyone wants to help (like beta reader-ish type stuff, just to make sure stuff I put out isn't crap), my IM is blackndnostalgia or my e-mail is myheartstoppedcrying@hotmail.com.  
  
::Linds 


	4. Distractions

Title: Distractions  
Author: Lindsay  
Date: April 25th, 2005 (4 days before Hitchiker's Guide!)

AN: The number in here is mine, almost. If you feel like being an idiot and calling random numbers, trying to figure that out, be my guest. Eventually you'll get mine.  
I don't own TGI Friday's, though I wish I did.

"Get out your books, and pair up. If I catch any of you not working, or talking about something not related to Algebra, you'll all be split up and you'll have to do the extra problems."

Draco watched, almost sourly, as the class got up. If this were Hogwarts, he'd have either Crabbe or Goyle at his side, ready to do whatever he bade. He pushed the school from his mind, and flipped the book open. New students in muggle schools were loners. Their world was so vast, nobody knew anybody. There was no status, no bloodlines, nothing. The only thing that set anyone apart from any other student was their taste in clothing and music, or perhaps their dedication to school.

Just three months ago, he would have sneered at them all, calling them mudbloods. He was of pure lineage, having not one muggle in his immediate family for at least six generations, and only three in the first cousins and aunts/uncles. His kind simply didn't do well with those who didn't have magical powers, or came from a background that didn't.

Now, of course, nobody knew him. He had no bodyguards. His blonde hair made him look like a beach boy, not a Malfoy. Of course, and here, nobody was afraid of him simply because of his house. The only distinction was by grade, and even those lines were blurred.

"Mind if I sit here?" a female voice asked. Draco looked up from his work and immediately saw white pants. A pink shirt with glitter all over it, that said something about Cherry's car wash, and had a woman clad in a bikini on the front. His eyebrow raised in an instinctual Malfoy gesture. The face of the girl in question was currently smiling a bit, with brown ringlets framing her face. She was attractive, and staring at him.

"Sure."

He glanced away from her brown eyes, taking in her light dusting of freckles and small nose before catching the eye of the class's pretty boy, who was staring at the girl. 'More like staring at her arse,' he thought, snickering to himself. While he may have toned down the attitude, he still got a kick out of messing with the muggles, even if he was one of them - for the time being.

"So, you understand all of this, right?" she asked cheerily, flipping her own book open and pulling out the notebook paper. He noticed her tidy, loopy handwriting, and then glanced back to his own chicken scratch. The girl also looked at his work, and compared the two's answers. When they all matched up, she proceded to instruct him to move on, before he put out a pale hand.

"What's your name?" he asked bluntly, meeting her eyes. He didn't glance away when she flushed, his superior attitude showing through.

She moved her shoulders, then responded, "Connie. What's yours?"

It took a second for him to think of his new name, though the answer came in seconds. "Chris."

Her lips curved into a smile, and the two returned to their work, each doing the problems and comparing answers. Because of Draco's skill at potions, and his desire to always be the best he could, the two finished in a record time. They packed up their personal items and spent the last thirty minutes talking about whatever came across their minds.

Draco found it difficult at first to find suitable conversation topics, almost everything he'd ever known he had to wipe clean, instead trying to stear their conversation towards safe topics. When she began talking about her family, he silently listened to her tales of her older brothers. Her family was large. She was the youngest of six, her five siblings being boys.

As she grinned, momentarily lost in talkes of her youth, Draco could only reflect on his family. He was an only child. He'd been spoiled, as was expected, perhaps even more so than most muggles. But just listening to her tell stories almost made him wish there had been more. That thought immediately died. He doubted his family would have lasted with more than one child.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ringing of the bell. The entire class stood up, almost as one, and filed toward the open door, spilling into the hallways. They erupted with noise, one of the things that irritated Draco. Too many people, cramped into small hallways and small classrooms.

The two were the last to file out, silently. Draco walked alongside the brunette, a full head taller than she was, his book and binder resting in his arms. When they reached the end of the hallway, Draco turned to look at the girl, wondering which way she was headed. She looked up, and grinned, her eyes lighting up.

She picked up his hand and wrote 703-431-9357, before walking the opposite direction of him. Students began to push around him, and he was forced to move once more, following the flow that guided him to his next classroom. The numbers were quickly written on a piece of paper, though he was entirely unsure of what it was.

That class he had with Hermione, and it took everything in him to not curl his lip and walk away, swirling his imaginary cloak behind him. The wizarding world was no more, not for a while. And Hermione may be a mudblood, but she was a brilliant one, and if he didn't try to be polite, life would turn quickly into a hell.

And so he sat down next to the brunette, her whole body tensing, then slowly relaxing. Before the tardy bell rang, he slid the paper to her, as he rubbed the ink off his hand. "What's that?"

Hermione looked at it and smiled. "It's a phone number. Someone likes you, and wants you to call her."

Draco pursed his lips as the paper was slid back to him, and the tardy bell rang. It was shoved into his pockets as his government teacher walked in. The man was going grey at the temples, but still had the humor of a teenager. For some reason, the entire class loved to tell jokes with the man, and were always asking for him to make "jump shots", which consisted of balling paper up and throwing it into a waste bin. Draco found it useless, but the more time the teacher was taking shots, the less time he was expected to learn about the American government.

That night, Hermione explained the phone to Draco as best as she could. He still couldn't really grasp the concept of electricity, but when he pressed the numbers in order, the phone began ringing, and soon enough, a female voice answered.

"Uhh, Connie?" he asked, not sure of how it worked. Hermione warned him not to shout, it was like teleporting his voice exactly like he spoke it. Draco had the distinct impression that someone else had tried to use a telephone and had shouted, without much luck.

"Yes," the voice replied. Draco pulled the phone away from his head and stared, bewildered, but placed it back where it was.

"It's Chris."

A giggle came, and then, "I know. I didn't expect you to call so soon."

Draco was unsure of what to say to that, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the conversation. "Would you like to go out on a date?" she asked, giggling again. Draco's lips slid into a smile. This was something he was okay at, dating. Though, conversation wouldn't be too great, at least until he'd come up with enough lies. 'I hate this. It's damn near impossible to remember a ton of lies.'

"No problem," he replied. It was as if he could feel her smile. Connie suggested the local restaurant, something about a Friday's. Draco had no clue, but it didn't matter. They were going out the next night, and then possibly coming back here for some quality hang out time. Draco was a bit hesitant to go to her house, knowing that at least at his, he could be left alone.

'Gutter mind,' he snarled. Her lips were glossed over with a glittery pink, but it wasn't girlish. Draco was amazed at the sheer number of colors that littered her eyelids, and was dying to ask if she had done it the muggle way, or if she secretly knew some magic. Her ears held more earrings than he could count, from all sorts of holes. And bloody hell, she smelled like vanilla. Only one other person knew his weakness for vanilla, and he was unlikely to ever wear it.

Their conversation started out slowly, with each testing each other. It slipped onto a familiar topic, family. Once again, Draco was more than happy to listen, fascinated by her accented speech. Halfway through her spiel, he asked her where she was from.

A puzzled look crossed her eyes, before, "What?"

"Your accent. It's not like most American accents."

Her cheeks tinted beige, and Draco had to will himself to focus on the answer. "I'm from the south. Alabama, to be exact." He had no idea where or what Alabama was, but it didn't matter.

"Sorry. I just found your accent fascinating," he murmured, and she paused before shrugging.

"I rarely think about it." Another pause, then she forged on ahead with talking about her siblings, her family's memories, events they'd all gone to together, disasters her brothers had brought on them. Soon they were laughing again, in between bites of food.

"You know," she began, flushing again. "I've been talking nonstop. What about your family?"

Draco chose his words carefully. "I've got no siblings. My mom and dad... I've got no idea where they are." It was close enough. They were in London, most likely trying everything they could to get back in with their Lord's graces. "I live with my uncle and cousins. It's a strange situation, but we... we don't talk about it much." He let silence fill in the gaps that he couldn't do. She nodded sympathetically, then smiled once more, as if the upward curling of her lips could save him from sorrow.

'Oh, but it can,' he thought devillishly. He may be acting the saint, but seventeen years of using unsuspecting things like her were hard to get rid of. 'But there'll be a lot less using, and more trying.' It was utterly useless to try to get around in the muggle world, and if he had to pretend to be one, he might as well make the best of it.

The food was finished, and the waitress politely took the dishes, then brought a desert menu.Draco fingered the... credit card in his pocket. Hermione had attempted to explain that too, but it was no use. The idea of paying with plastic, instead of real money was too complicated. She just said to offer the credit card, and sign his name on the dotted line of the receipt.

Their conversation continued once more, completely forgetting about the moment of discomfort. When the bill was paid, and Draco made damn sure to get it right and not look like an idiot, the two hopped into Connie's car and made their way back to his house.

It still took him a minute to get used to the weird transport that muggles used. It was fun to leave the window rolled down, allowing the wind to whip around his hair. Music was loud from somewhere in the car, but at the moment he didn't care where.

Once inside, Draco found himself upon the coziest scene of all - his current roommates plus Bree sitting in the living room, watching some movie on TV. Connie looked over his shoulder curiously, and Draco tried to step back and see the scene from her eyes.

On the chair, a tiny redhead was curled in a ball, her legs drawn up as tightly as they could be. She had violent freckles splashed all over her face, matching the redhead on the couch, who had hair just as red. Beside him was a brunette, with more hair than anyone else combined.

Draco could see them sitting a little too close, but for the sake of their guests, they had to pretend they were related, not dating.The other couch held a blonde with blue eyes, and a black-haired, green-eyed boy. The two sat almost close together, but not quite. Draco managed a sneer in his mind. It was hard to look upon the golden boy and not be disgusted, especially when his entire life had been dedicated to the boy's downfall.

He cleared his throat, and five pairs of eyes drifted to him. Draco could read a question in them, and sighed. "Let's do something besides watch TV. You guys do enough of that."

Finally, someone seemed to notice his date. 'Girlfriend? Not sure,' he thought.

"Hey," Hermione said. "I'm Ashleigh, Chris' cousin."

Connie visibly relaxed, smiling and introducing herself. Once names were traded all around, Hermione jumped in with things to do.

"Let's play Pictionary!"

Draco blinked. He'd never heard of this game in his entire life, but he was glad Hermione didn't give him the chance to put in anything. Neither himself, nor the Weasley siblings knew any muggle games. Harry's eyes lit up, and so did Bree's. They voiced their enthusiasm, and Hermione jumped up, eager to get the game out.

Returning a moment later, box in hand, she set it down on the kitchen table, beckoning everyone to come over.

"We'll have to split in teams. Let's do it girls versus guys," she suggested, and motioned for the other three females to join her. Connie, almost completely at ease with the new people, joined in as if they were all long time friends.

Draco shrugged. It looked like the girls would win, especially since they had three players who knew what the hell this game was, as opposed to the one on his team. 'And why, oh why, did I get stuck with a weasel and Potter?' he moaned to himself.

Hermione quickly set everything up, handing each team paper and pencils, then explained the rules. It took nearly three tries for Ron and Ginny to understand it, and Draco took the chance to learn the game himself.

Then play began. The dice was rolled, and the girls went first. Hermione drew a card, then pursed her lip, and finally began to sketch things out while the boys timed her. Bree and Catherine shouted out guesses, while Ginny just watched, almost mute.

"Donald Duck!" Bree shouted, already caught up in the game. Hermione cheered, threw the pencil down, and gave her teammates high fives. Their player was moved forward.

When the guys turn came, Harry went first, being the most able to understand muggle things, he could try to relay his information. The card he drew caused him to purse his lips, then stared for a few moments. Finally, he told them to start timing, and went to drawing whatever it was that he was supposed to draw.

At first, it looked like a bunch of lines. Draco studied it intensely, watching each line connect, trying to conjure an image in his mind.

Finally, as the drawing became more clear, Draco could only think of one thing. Hogwarts. 'But he can't mean Hogwarts. Think. Words to describe it."

"Castle!" Ron finally said, triumphant as if he already knew he'd gotten the answer.

"Ha! Yes!" Harry responded, tossing his own pencil down just as the girls called time. Their piece was moved, and the game wore on.

As the minutes passed, the girls began to pull ahead by quite a bit. When it was finally Draco's turn, he picked up a card, then stared at the word colored green. 'Cauldron.'

A laugh bubbled up his throat, as he set down the card and picked up his pencil. As he began sketching, however, it was apparent that his skills were less than even understandable. It came out looking like a blob with legs and a gaping wound. He looked up, as if for help, and spied Snape.

Making unintelligible noises and gesturing at him, then at the paper, he tried to convey the meaning. Snape glared at him, furious that his one saving grace in this mad world was acting like a total jackass. Harry glanced back and forth, shouting out whatever came to his mind.

"What? Jerk? Class, school, desks, uhh..." Struggling to come up with words that weren't wizard-related, his mind completely skipped over-

"Cauldron, you idiots," Snape snarled.

"Cauldron!" Ron shouted, and Draco rolled his eyes, throwing down the pencil.

"Finally! My skills as an artist might not betray my worth, but bloody hell you two are thick!" he said, moving their game peace. He glanced up, to see Connie looking from him to Snape, frantically. He glanced up, and saw his ex-teacher through the girl's eyes.

He look positively frightening, his eyes murdering everyone he saw. If he were a cartoon, steam would be pouring out of his ears.

"Would you please shut up?"Snape said through clenched teeth. "If I have to be stuck with you, I'm going to at least be able to relax, or you'll all suffer."

Draco raised an eyebrow, challenging as he stood up straight. Wizard or no, he wasn't going to back down from any threat. Snape wasn't his match anymore, not without magic. Draco was larger and bigger, and younger.

"Sit down, Chris," Ginny said, leaning over the table to tug him down. As Snape whirled and stalked out of the room, muttering about stupid children the entire way. Ginny turned to Connie, who was still startled. "Don't mind him, he's usually an ass."

"I heard that!" Snape shouted. "Twenty-five points!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ginny flushed, but crossed her arms angrily. "Stupid jerk. There's no points here, nobody's flipping keeping tally."

With that, the game seemed to be over. Ginny got up and stormed out of the room, with Hermione shooting everyone an apologetic glance and taking off after her. Bree was completely unfazed by Snape's outburst, since she managed to spend nearly every day here and had grown used to it.

Draco supposed it was up to the ones left to clean the mess, and set about the task of picking up the papers and stray pieces, putting them back into the box as neatly as he could. Harry jumped up to help, and Draco rolled his eyes. The golden boy, always have to be the good and perfect one. He paused for a moment before resuming the clean-up job.

"Did we scare you off?" he asked Connie as the two sat on the hood of her car. She turned to him, grinning, and shook her head.

"No. It was refreshing to see such a close knit group again. Even Bree fits in perfectly." She paused, then asked him quizzically, "But what's with your uncle? And why did Catherine get so upset when he started talking about points?"

Draco quickly debated his responses. Deciding that it was one less lie to worry about, he stuck to the truth as closely as possible. "Well... my uncle used to teach us all. We went to a boarding school of sorts, before coming here. And each... house had points. If you were good, or if you did particularly well on a test, you might get points added to your house's total. Mouthing off got points taken away."

Connie let the information sink in, trying to figure it out. "What was your school called?" she asked, wanting to look it up. She wanted to know all that she could about this new friend.

"If I told you... Well, you'd be killed," he said with a grin, and no amount of pleading could get him to reveal the name. Their night ended with a quick kiss on the lips, nothing more than a brief meeting and then parting. Connie blushed and got into her car, then sped off into the night.

Draco touched his lips, but frowned. It was like kissing any of the Slytherin girls, but sweeter. It wasn't, however, as good as he'd thought it would be. He believed, especially with his kind, that the magic in them bound them to one other, and the moment they came in true contact, he'd know.

Shrugging it off, he knew he'd never be with Connie. She was something to help ground him to the muggle world right now, and get his mind off of- 'No. That's wrong, Malfoy. You are a Malfoy, and you make their lives as difficult as possible. Use the bitch, and then lose her.'

But it didn't click. All his life, it didn't quite click, but there was never an alternative. Now there was, and it was consuming him, this new life. He had no overbearing father, trying to manipulate him into gaining the family name the respect and loyalty that he'd lost. He had no school pressures, no secrets, no act to keep up.

And as he walked back into the house, he couldn't help but think that he liked it this way. Not the part without his magic, that, he'd never give up. But the part without his father, without the pressures, without the name.

Ginny felt her whole body being submerged into water. An invisible hand pushed her down, even as she flailed to reach the surface. As her struggling grew more frantic, a menacing laugh sounded, and suddenly she was pulled out of the water, and suspended by her neck. Her breath didn't come, but suddenly she was dead and didn't need it anyway.

A hideous face stared back at her. It was Riddle, she knew, but it didn't look like him. He grinned, baring red teeth, and then threw himself at her.

And then she sat up, gasping for air, looking wildly around the room. It took a few moments to realize that Riddle wasn't here, she was safe. She was a muggle, an untraceable one at that. The moon shone brightly outside, casting a silver glow on her room. Ginny lay back down, but immediately felt her skin start crawling, like a thousand fingers were running down her body.

She shuddered, and sat up, unsure of what to do. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his face. Her neck hurt, as though she'd really been hung by it.

Ten minutes later, when she found herself wide awake still, she reached into the nightstand and pulled out the leather diary she'd placed there. Flipping to the latest page, she began writing, in the faint light of the moon.

Diary-

I'm not sure what's going on with me. Today, Malfoy brought his girlfriend home. At first I wanted to strangle her, then I couldn't. She was very sweet, and incredibly pretty. Maybe if I were prettier. She also had a lot of earrings... Strange. I'm not sure that I'd go that far for someone. I don't even know if I want to go with him. I mean... I'm a Weasley, he's Malfoy. We hate each other. But I can't help but think about all the nice things he's done. Since we became muggles. But, I wonder if that's just him being nice so he can hurt us later.  
And he knows about me, and the closet. Heh I'm still embarassed about that... I'm glad nobody can see me blush. Maybe I should decide if I like him before I try to kill his girlfriend.  
He kissed her when she left. Nobody can know that I saw that. I think about the closet all the time. I don't know if I regret it. Wow, being a muggle sure does make me crazy. I don't know anything anymore. I wish I could talk to Hermione, but I know she doesn't trust him yet. I need her in this crazy world. Everyone's got so many problems, my boy troubles are the least of everyone's worries. I don't know why I even bother to think about it. Why don't I think about Harry anymore? I haven't since I was fifteen, but it would still be nice to have someone safe to be in love with. I'm not in love with Malfoy though. I guess I wasn't in love with Harry either. True love doesn't come and go quite that quickly.  
I still don't know what to do. But at least I'll remember this.

G.

This time it was a movie. Not just any movie. A scary one. Draco had the feeling she'd picked it out, purely for the fact that she could jump and latch onto his hand. He was fairly creeped out himself, it was about a house that had once been used to torture indians. The muggle style of scaring people senseless was amusing, but nonetheless fake. At the end of the film, they were still safe, in their little homes, with their ordinary lives.  
As the theater let out, Connie was practically hugging herself out of her own fear. Draco wanted to wrap an arm around her shoulders, but he had no idea how the muggle would take it. And so the two walked, side by side, out to Connie's car.  
"Do you want to go somewhere else, or are we good for the night?" she asked as she started the vehicle. Draco quickly ruled out his house. It was too hard to be comfortable among the group, but too easy to let things slip when he regularly talked with them about a forbidden world.  
"I don't care. Let's not go to my house again, my uncle's in a foul mood tonight."  
Connie paused, before smiling. "Ever been to the park?"  
He wasn't sure what she was talking about, so the answer was most likely a no. When he told her as much, she grinned and set her car into drive, informing him that they would finish their evening in the park, walking or star gazing.  
Draco knew plenty enough about the stars, having spent a great deal of nights up in the towers at Hogwarts, whether it was for actual schooling or for various states of deviousness. Of course, he couldn't tell her that. And so, they parked the car, and pulled out a sleeping bag from her trunk, and laid it on the grass. The air outside was still quite cold, and their breath was white in the air.  
"So how do you like America?" Connie asked.  
"It's different. You guys have everything... different, and sometimes it's hard adjusting." It was the safest thing to say, but unfortunately, it would generate questions he couldn't answer.  
Connie sat in silence, tilting her head so she could get a better look at whatever it was she was staring at, before pulling her hands behind her head and nodding. "What's hard to adjust to? I mean... public schools versus boarding schools, that's probably a big jump. But, I mean, all the people are the same. The language is a bit different..."  
"So are the customs. Where I'm from, you are ranked by a sort of... primitive standard. Whom you align yourself with determines your status in society, the respect you get, and who your friends are. Back in London, I was part of a group that... well, let's just say I was looked upon as a criminal, just because of my birth."  
Draco closed his mouth. He was getting too close to the truth, and was letting too much go to this girl who could never understand it. She would never understand the feeling of flying on a broomstick, or properly learning transfiguration, or what the owl post is like, or apparition. She could never be a part of his world, because Draco knew that his magic was such a big part of his life, he wanted someone that felt the same way about it. A muggle could never meet that standard. 'Though, if I never return to the wizarding world...' he briefly thought, before banishing the notion.  
When the sleeping bag was rolled up, the car started, it had reached well past one AM. Draco had learned more about Connie than she had about him, but it was an unspoken truce. She had her secrets, he had his.

AN: Sorry this chapter wasn't very long, I hope the rest will be longer. If there's anything wrong, just tell me and it'll be fixed! I've got too many things and ideas going in my head to keep one story straight from the next.

And I've decided to take everything kind of differently, so just... forget the old chapter 4!

Lindsey


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